Funded Grants 2014-2015

Strengthening the Women’s Group of Union Pro-Agro Through Workshops Developed to Increase Leadership Capacity - Bolivia

Funded by Aroma Coffee Specialties

Through the work of the Café Femenino women’s group, this coffee cooperative recognizes the difficulties faced by the women coffee producers. This project aims to strengthen the women’s program by first coming together and talking about their experiences, what barriers they face, and to develop a plan of action for the coffee cooperative in order to move the women’s group to the next level of advancement. This project aims to identify and assess the current conditions and provide the necessary skills in leadership, management, organization, and self-esteem. This project will benefit the women of the cooperative, their families and the community as a whole.

Replacing Unhealthy Kitchens - Colombia

For the women of Colombia, the family meals are prepared in unsanitary and unsafe conditions. Food is being prepared over open fires that cause respitory illnesses for the women and small children. This grant will repair or replace kitchens to improve health for six families. The kitchens will include stoves that vent to the outside, water plumbed to the inside, and work surfaces providing better sanitary conditions. They will be built with sustainable materials and the project will also serve as a sustainable construction training program for young people. All labor will be provided by the family as well as a portion of the investment in material costs.

Oregano Gardens to Diversify Income - Dominican Republic

For coffee families land is typically reserved for growing only coffee. This project is to add oregano crops to the family farms in order to diversify crops and increase the family’s income. 12 women will receive seedlings, fertilizer, training and help with preparing the land and the final harvest. This project empowers women to oversee the development of their land and income.

Planting of Organic Family Gardens - Guatemala

Funded by Shuswap Coffee

The goal of this project is to improve nutrition of 78 families in the community of Pasac by planting and maintaining organic family gardens. Funds will allow families to purchase the vegetable seedlings and the organic fertilizer. The funding for the educational workshop materials and technical assistance will be provided by the community.

Roya (Coffee-Leaf Rust) Prevention & Reduction - Guatemala

Funded by Coffee Holding Company/OPTCO

In the past year many coffee producers have seen a 50% reduction in coffee productivity due to the coffee-leaf rust (Roya). This project aims to improve the production of the women’s coffee farms by providing the additional organic fertilizer needed to improve the soils around the coffee trees. Training in Roya prevention, transportation to the workshop, and a technician, will be funded by the coffee cooperative to support this project. 70 women and their families will benefit from this project funding.

Laguna del Cofre Women's Wet Mill - Mexico

Funded by The Mission Market Place

Women coffee producers are working together to establish their own wet mill to process their coffee. The new mill will allow them to improve the quality of their coffee by 30%, reduce their processing costs, and increase their family income. The funds will go to purchase funding will purchase tiles and Morter for 10 fermentation tanks, protocol instructions. Technical training and labor will be provided by the coffee cooperative to help support the women in their new management endeavor.

In the community of Guasuyuca there is a need for reproductive health education, services and medical testing for cervical cancer prevention. This project includes funding for 2 workshops on reproductive health, equipment and staff person to perform PAP tests, payment to the lab for test analysis and results reading, prescription medication, and a facilitator to execute the workshops. One-third of the funding for this project will come from the women’s group as a part of an overall breast-uterine-cervical cancer prevention program focused on rural women coffee farmers. This request will benefit 62 women and their families which is approximately 310 people.

CASA Cafe Femenino - Nueva York, Peru

Funded by the Garth Smith Memorial Fund

CASA Cafe Femenino comes from the direct advancement of the women in the remote community of. Nueva York. The women here have organized themselves, but they need a place to be able to meet, have trainings, make plans, as well as provide emergency refuge for women and children that are victims of abuse. In addition to a space for the women, they will also need a computer and printer for their organization. 45 women and their families initially will benefit through the new CASA Cafe Femenino house and equipment.

Clean Water for Children of Penachi, Peru

Funded by Jasper Coffee

For all children in the Penachi region of Lambayeque drinking water comes directly from the river. Children commonly have digestive and respiratory diseases, as well as parasites, that affect their growth and development. This grant request is to supply and install a water purification system in each of 10 early education centers funded by the Cafe Femenino Foundation. These funds will also provide trainings for the families on the importance of clean water and for the maintenance of the water purification system. This project will benefit 2100 people in the 10 communities involved in this project in The Penachi region.

Clean Water for Children of La Florida, Peru

Funded by Kobos Coffee

For all children in the La Florida region of Cajamarca drinking water comes directly from the river. Children commonly have digestive and respiratory diseases, as well as parasites, that affect their growth and development. This grant request is to supply and install a water purification system in each of 10 early education centers funded by the Cafe Femenino Foundation. These funds will also provide trainings for the families on the importance of clean water and for the maintenance of the water purification system. This project will benefit 2100 people in the 10 communities involved in this project in the La Florida region.

Early Education Center – Corral de Piedra, Peru

Funded by Cup for Education

Lack of stimulation, child development and malnutrition contribute to learning disabilities as well as intellectual and physical problems for the children. This grant is year three of an ongoing early education program. The program continues to monitor each child’s development, provides ongoing training for teachers and parents in proper nutrition for five years, as well as adds new children and parents each year. The long-term goal is to demonstrate to the Federal and Regional government, the importance of proper nutrition and how it affects growth and early education the future learning capacity for the children. When the program started, on average 45% of the children fell into the chronic malnutrition category.

Early Education Center - Villarumi, Peru

Lack of stimulation, child development and malnutrition contribute to learning disabilities as well as intellectual and physical problems for the children. This grant is year three of an ongoing early education program. The program continues to monitor each child’s development, provides ongoing training for teachers and parents in proper nutrition for five years, as well as adds new children and parents each year. The long-term goal is to demonstrate to the Federal and Regional government, the importance of proper nutrition and how it affects growth and early education the future learning capacity for the children. When the program started, on average 45% of the children fell into the chronic malnutrition category.

Early Education Center - Murojaga, Peru

Funded by Cup for Education

Lack of stimulation, child development and malnutrition contribute to learning disabilities as well as intellectual and physical problems for the children. This grant is year three of an ongoing early education program. The program continues to monitor each child’s development, provides ongoing training for teachers and parents in proper nutrition for five years, as well as adds new children and parents each year. The long-term goal is to demonstrate to the Federal and Regional government, the importance of proper nutrition and how it affects growth and early education the future learning capacity for the children. When the program started, on average 45% of the children fell into the chronic malnutrition category.

Early Education Center - Nueva York, Peru

Funded by Grounds for Change

Lack of stimulation, child development and malnutrition contribute to learning disabilities as well as intellectual and physical problems for the children. This grant is year three of an ongoing early education program. The program continues to monitor each child’s development, provides ongoing training for teachers and parents in proper nutrition for five years, as well as adds new children and parents each year. The long-term goal is to demonstrate to the Federal and Regional government, the importance of proper nutrition and how it affects growth and early education the future learning capacity for the children. When the program started, on average 45% of the children fell into the chronic malnutrition category.

San Antonio Early Education Center - Peru

Lack of stimulation, child development and malnutrition contribute to learning disabilities as well as intellectual and physical problems for the children. This grant is year three of an ongoing early education program. The program continues to monitor each child’s development, provides ongoing training for teachers and parents in proper nutrition for five years, as well as adds new children and parents each year. The long-term goal is to demonstrate to the Federal and Regional government, the importance of proper nutrition and how it affects growth and early education the future learning capacity for the children. When the program started, on average 45% of the children fell into the chronic malnutrition category.

New Educational Center in the community of Chiñama, Peru

Funded by Jasper Coffee

This project aims to start an Early Educational Center in the community of Chiñama for preschool aged children under the age of five. The grant funds will provide the specialized training for the preschool teachers and parents in the areas of early education stimulation and development, healthy lifestyles, and nutrition. These areas improve lifelong learning which is not being addressed in the current educational system. Funding will provide a classroom, purchase of educational materials, specialized training for teachers and parents, as well as the base-line measurements. This long-term health and education program will study and track the children’s progress for five years.

New Educational Center in the community of La Cria, Peru

This project aims to start an Early Educational Center in the community of La Cria for preschool aged children under the age of five. The grant funds will provide the specialized training for the preschool teachers and parents in the areas of early education stimulation and development, healthy lifestyles, and nutrition. These areas improve lifelong learning which is not being addressed in the current educational system. Funding will provide a classroom, purchase of educational materials, specialized training for teachers and parents, as well as the base-line measurements. This long-term health and education program will study and track the children’s progress for five years.

New Educational Center in the community of Tallapampa, Peru

This project aims to start an Early Educational Center in the community of Tallapampa for preschool aged children under the age of five. The grant funds will provide the specialized training for the preschool teachers and parents in the areas of early education stimulation and development, healthy lifestyles, and nutrition. These areas improve lifelong learning which is not being addressed in the current educational system. Funding will provide a classroom, purchase of educational materials, specialized training for teachers and parents, as well as the base-line measurements. This long-term health and education program will study and track the children’s progress for five years.

New Educational Center in the community of Roblepampa, Peru

Funded by Randy Wirth Memorial Fund

This project aims to start an Early Educational Center in the community of Roblepampa for preschool aged children under the age of five. The grant funds will provide the specialized training for the preschool teachers and parents in the areas of early education stimulation and development, healthy lifestyles, and nutrition. These areas improve lifelong learning which is not being addressed in the current educational system. Funding will provide a classroom, purchase of educational materials, specialized training for teachers and parents, as well as the base-line measurements. This long-term health and education program will study and track the children’s progress for five years.

Stove Ventilation - Gran Vilaya Region, Peru

In rural Peru cooking is done over open fires in closed in kitchens. The children and babies are also cared for in these kitchens while the mother works. Because there is no ventilation the babies, small children and mothers suffer from smoke inhalation and causing long term health problems from respiratory illness. This grant request is to be able to improve the stoves and add chimneys for 27 women and their families. The project will also provide for two educational workshops, one on health effects of smoke and the other on building and installing new stoves.

Children’s Dental Heath and Hygiene Training - Penachi Region, Peru

Funded by Grounds for Change

For rural Peru health can be vastly improved through simple things like brushing your teeth and washing your hands. But for these 14 communities that live in extreme poverty this simple lessons have never been taught because most of the populations here have never had an opportunity for any type of education. This area is considered to be the “poorest of the poor” by the regional government. This grant funding will go to provide training workshops for 4900 children and their parents, on the importance of hygiene and nutrition, as well as demonstrating proper hand washing and tooth brushing in order to prevent disease. The funds will also provide workshop materials such as soap, hand towels, tooth brushes, tooth paste and floss.

Coffee Families in rural Peru suffer from many preventable illness because of they have never been trained in simple things like brushing their teeth, or washing their hands. Visiting these communities we find that most adults have lost many of their teeth. The women are self-conscience and lack self esteem as a result of this problem. This grant will fund training workshops in hygiene, nutrition, and proper dental care. Funds will also provide workshop materials, soap, hand towels, tooth brushes, floss, and tooth paste for 3500 children from seven primary and preschools.